First Impressions
by Lady Pandora
Summary: Teyla's impressions from Rising; Lorne's impressions from meeting Sheppard at the SGC & arriving in Atlantis
1. Chapter 1: Teyla

A/N: Sincere thanks to theicemenace for speedy beta skills! Any mistakes still there are solely the author's.

Credit for this chapter goes to JodyMarie, who asked me if I was going to do something on Teyla. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with the Stargate franchise, aside from some action figures, patches and photos. If I did own them, Stargate Atlantis would still be entertaining us with new adventures every week!

Thanks for reading~ Lady Pandora

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**First Impressions**

**Chapter 1: Teyla**

Teyla Emmagan discussed the coming day with some fellow Athosians as they broke their fast. The early morning air was brisk and she was glad to be inside the warm tent. She poured hot water over the tea to steep, looking forward to the daily brew. The hunters would head out shortly, as would those who grew the few crops they could sustain in between cullings. As she set the pot down she caught the sounds of several people approaching. Halling's voice announced the presence of visitors and she granted entrance to him and to those who had traveled through the Ring of the Ancestors.

The trio who entered were definitely military of some sort, although she had not seen that style before. Definitely not Satedan. As she greeted them, she quickly ran through a list of those worlds she knew to have militias, but none seemed to fit.

The oldest of the three, Sumner, had the same look she'd seen on military men from other worlds, as if she were of no consequence due to either her gender, height, or lack of military bearing. He gave the impression of caring only about what he might obtain from her, and not about getting to know her or her people at all.

Ford reminded her of Toran, one of the young hunters she was working with, eager but still learning. He glanced towards Sumner as if looking for reassurance that he was following proper protocol, and she stifled a smile at the familiar look. _Definitely similar to Toran._

The last one, Sheppard… he intrigued her. He had a cocky attitude she'd seen many times before, and his frank appraisal of her appearance hadn't gone unnoticed, but he was gracious enough to not take offense at her words and to make a genuine effort towards getting to know one another. His words were strange, but his willingness to make the effort was oddly endearing.

The face Sheppard made when he took that first sip of tea confirmed her suspicion that he had only agreed to join her in drinking it for politeness' sake, but his reaction was hidden so quickly that she would not have seen it if she hadn't been looking at him. The others seated at the table looked askance at her, as if they couldn't quite figure out why she was so willing to talk with this stranger when it was apparent that his leader had nothing but contempt for them.

Teyla wondered where they could possibly have come from that the word _'Wraith'_ meant nothing. The concept of living without the constant threat was so foreign to her that she couldn't quite wrap her mind around it. Given the amount of arms these men bore, she wondered what other threats they faced that required them to go about in such a manner. Her impulsive decision to take Major Sheppard to see the pictorial history of her people was unlike her; she saw Toran hide his surprise at her decision. She knew that, as leader of her people, no one would question her right to do so, and she hoped that she would not regret her decision.

**Meet & greet party on Atlantis**

Never did Teyla think to be rescued from a Wraith hive ship, nor did she ever imagine setting foot inside the home of the Ancestors. Atlantis. The very name was sacred to her people. The city was breathtaking, its beauty reflected in the water it floated upon. The willingness of these strangers to take in her people, in spite of the very real dangers they themselves faced, merely affirmed her decision to take a chance and become friends with them.

Teyla overheard Major Sheppard and Dr. Weir discussing what had happened with Colonel Sumner, and felt compelled to add her thoughts on the matter. She felt sorrow over the death of her fellow Athosian and that of Colonel Sumner, and knew that they weighed heavily on Major Sheppard. She gently reminded him that he now had friends in the Pegasus galaxy, starting with herself and her people.

As she looked out over the city late that night, Teyla vowed to support her newfound friends to the best of her abilities. After all, she knew from personal experience what a difficult and challenging job it was to be a leader. She looked forward to introducing her new friends to the wonders of the Pegasus galaxy while at the same time learning more about them and about the city of the Ancients.


	2. Chapter 2: Lorne

A/N: Sincere thanks to theicemenace for speedy beta skills! Any mistakes still there are solely the author's.

Lorne insisted that his first impressions be included, so here you are!

Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with the Stargate franchise, aside from some action figures, patches and photos. If I did own them, Stargate Atlantis would still be entertaining us with new adventures every week!

Thanks for reading~ Lady Pandora

* * *

**First Impressions**

**Chapter 2: Lorne**

Major Evan Lorne had been through the gate enough times that he was starting to feel a bit jaded about the whole process. You've seen one set of ruins, you've seen them all. And no matter where they went, the architecture and style of the indigenous people always reminded him of an Earth culture. His artist's eye was inspired by some of what he saw, but inevitably the images were shoved out of his mind by yet another encounter with hostile forces bent on destroying them. Evan loved his job, but some days he longed for the chance to just spend a day with his mom painting. His artistic soul yearned to express itself, but the demands of his job had thus far not afforded him the luxury of painting. He did some sketching at odd moments, but it didn't satisfy in the same way that putting a brush to canvas did.

The offer to join the Atlantis expedition as the military second in command was a rare opportunity, and he jumped at the chance to travel to another galaxy. He knew that the odds had settled in his favor when it had been determined that he possessed the same gene that allowed General O'Neill, Major Sheppard, and Dr. Beckett to operate Ancient technology. Listening to Sheppard talk about flying a puddle jumper had him yearning to try it as soon as they arrived on Atlantis.

Word was that Colonel Caldwell would be offered the command, and Evan thought it was a shame that Sheppard hadn't been offered the 2IC position, as he genuinely liked the man in spite of his somewhat cavalier attitude. Based on his observations over the last couple weeks, the Major had more in common with General O'Neill than just the Ancient gene. Distain for, as General O'Neill put it, 'the man' was definitely there as well, although Sheppard had a cockiness that was all his own. He was genuinely surprised to learn that Sheppard had been kept on as military commander at Weir's insistence, and looked forward to working with the newly promoted Lt. Colonel.

Evan surmised that a lot of the mundane administrative tasks would fall to him, as he couldn't see Sheppard spending a lot of time in an office if given any other option. _Good thing I'm detail-oriented. _He supervised the loading of supplies onto the _Daedalus_, checking and re-checking each list to ensure that the packing slips matched the ordinance and other supplies. He just smiled when someone made a snide remark about his overzealous attitude in checking everything. _It's not like we can simply have it sent through the gate if we forget something important. _He met with Sheppard and the rest of the Atlantis command staff daily, and discovered that the Lt. Colonel hid a quick mind behind that lazy, devil-may-care attitude.

**On the _Daedalus_**

The trip to Atlantis seemed to take forever, while at the same time it passed all too quickly. Evan had the opportunity to see his new CO in action during the incident with the Wraith AI, as well as a better understanding of the unique friendship between Sheppard and McKay. The irascible scientist was definitely a challenge to work with, and Evan was fairly sure he talked non-stop from when he woke up in the morning until he crashed late at night, but in spite of the complaining, he did what needed to be done, and that was what counted in Evan's book.

**Atlantis**

Evan stood with the command staff and waited to be beamed to Atlantis' control room. A brief flash of light flared across his vision, and then his eyes were drinking in the sight of the gate room. The architecture and stained glass windows were stunning; no photograph could possibly do them justice. His fingers itched to paint what was before him in all its glory as he spun around in a circle, drinking it all in. He snapped back to reality when Sheppard called his name and motioned for him to follow, making a mental note to requisition some art supplies for the next supply run. Somehow he would find time to once again put brush to canvas. If ever there was a city that deserved to be immortalized, this was it. He just hoped that his skills were up to the task.


End file.
